Portable lightweight record-player



Nov. 16, 1965 A. GENTILINI 3,

PORTABLE LIGHTWEIGHT RECORD-PLAYER Filed May 26, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Augusto Gent/7171i INVENTOR BY Wm de w ATTORNEYS Nov, 16, 1965 A. GENTILINI 3,218,081

PORTABLE LIGHTWEIGHT RECORD-PLAYER Filed May 26, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Augusto Gem/7M1 FIG 7 lNVENTOR V 43 I 42 BY C J ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofi ice 3,218,081 Patented Nov. 16, 1965 3,218,081 PORTABLE LIGHTWEIGHT RECORD-PLAYER Augusto Gentilini, 36 Via dei Mille, Rome, Italy Filed May 26, 1960, Ser. No. 32,040 9 Claims. (Cl. 274-39) It is the object of this invention to embody a recordplayer in which the various devices, and especially those to avoid vibrations of the motor, do not cause a notable increase of weight and size, with a special view towards the possibility of employing records for didactic and similar purposes: the invention, in fact, tends also to reduce the dimensions vertically, so that the closed apparatus will ha 'e a volume and weight similar to a book of medium size. This reduction in size is possible mainly because the motor is installed with the axle parallel to the plane of the record, thus eliminating the normal antivibrant gear, and because of further improvements described hereunder.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of the turntable and its coupling with the motor;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross section of this coupling means;

FIG. 3 shows the possible application of a speed gear;

FIG. 4 is a diagram, in cross section, of a simplified embodiment of the apparatus;

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 are seen from a lateral, frontal and perspective View of the apparatus described hereunder;

FIGS. 8 and 9 show an enlargement of the front and side of the speed-controlling device;

FIG. 10 shows a construction variant thereof; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a diagrammatic lateral and perspective View of the pick-up arm according to a simplified embodiment of this invention.

The turntable 1 of the record-player (FIGS. 1 and 2) is driven directly by the motor 2, which has a regulator operated by centrifugal force 3. The motor contacts with the end of the shaft 4 a toothed rim projecting from the turntable 1, and the toothed rim is of resilient material as synthetic rubber or similar material. The toothed rim may suitably be located on the outer part of a rubber plate 8 between two metal plates 1 and 9, of which 9 is firmly joined with the central hub while the turntable 1 may simply rest on the rubber plate 8 or it may be fixed thereon by screws 11 which are firmly attached to plate 9. The hub 10 rotates around a pivot 12 which is tightened, for example, by a couple of nuts 13, on the base 14 of the apparatus. The outer diameter of the hub 10 corresponds on top to the hole in the metal plates 1 and 9, in the rubber one 8 of an intermediate layer 3', and of the phonographic record 15.

In an apparatus for limited purposes (not shown), built according to the present invention, it might be sufficient for the partial elimination of the vibrations, to fasten the motor to a suspended rubber plate, and the construction of the turntable by a single plate, carrying at its periphery a housing for a rubber washer, which projects underneath the base of the record in order to be driven by a horizontal shaft motor.

Underneath the group of plates described above, which forms the turntable, the space is used for housing of the batteries 16, which are protected on top by a metal shell 18, underneath which there is an opening bottom 19 and laterally windows in the plate 14.

The motor 2 is supported by two arms 20 on bearings 21 of soft rubber or similar material, preferably with the pivot 22 disposed so as to easily permit the necessary removal in order to make a contact between the shaft 4 and the toothed rim 5 or to remove it when the apparatus is in resting position in order to avoid permanent deformation of said toothed rim. The lid 24 of the apparatus presents a projection 25 to push the motor downward when said lid is closed, overcoming the action of the antagonistic spring 26 or rather of the resilient bearing 27, connected with the third arm 23 of the motor. The motor can also be removed from the pick-up arm 43 entering into resting position, or from another member of the apparatus, not shown.

The arm of the motor 23 can also be predisposed for guiding by means of an especially shaped element 28 (FIG. 3) in order to force the motor into a different position according to the desired speed, the shaft being shaped with various diameters according to prior art.

The regulator 3 operated by centrifugal force, seen enlarged in FIGS. 8, 9, 10 consists in a small plate 30 with a cylindrical upwardly curved edge and hub 31 onto which, by means of an insulating layer 32 is fastened the adjusting sleeve 33 which has a contact intended to touch or not to touch the corresponding contact 35 of the lamina 36 mounted on the cylindrical edge of the small plate 30 and adjustable by screw 37. The small plate is fastened to a shaft of the motor by means of a set screw 38. In this way, one of the poles of the motor, being connected with the earth, i.e. with the small plate and with the lamina 36, is connected or not with the feeding current deriving from the lamina 39, according to whether the centrifugal force is insufficient to lift the lamina 36 or sufiicient to do so. In order to be able to use an electric motor with an axle on only one side, a form of adjuster as indicated in FIG. 10 will be required in which the adjusting sleeve is open and permits the passing of the shaft while the contact lamina is disposed laterally and can have the shape of a common motor brush. The small plate 20 can be prolonged at the side opposite the contact and form the shaft 4 which makes contact with the toothed rim 5, i.e. shaft and adjuster can form a single member not represented in the figure. The hereabove described adjuster can be supplied with apertures to reduce the weight, not represented in the figure, disposed in such a way to produce a satisfactory static and dynamic balance.

Eventual and residual vibrations will not be transmitted to the body of the apparatus, because of the effect of the already described resilient suspension which, in turn, can be integrated by an antivibratory support, not represented in the figure, of the pivot 22. In order to avoid, however, that the motor itself vibrates freely and thus transmits to the toothed rim 5 a non-uniform motion, the present invention foresees the use of an adjustable weight 22 (FIG. 2), and of fixed balance weights varyingly disposed on the arms 20 and 23 as well as on the motor, balance weights (not represented in the figure), as their position, shape and weight, depend on the characteristics of the motor: the object of said fixed and mobile balance weights is, according to the invention, to localize the vibrations in the furthest points from the pivot-toothed rim, using resonance phenomena in order to form a stationary wave of mechanical vibration, the loop of which is far away from the above-mentioned contact point which has to correspond with the node of said wave.

The assembly of the apparatus (FIGURES 4, 5, 6, 7) is formed in such a way as to fully use the space: besides the already described members, in the figures there can be noted the loudspeaker 40, the amplifier 41, the outer housing 42 and the pickup arm 43. In FIGURES 5 and 6 the lid 24 is visible which is preferably equipped with a double bottom and contains the pick-up arm 43, which, with its prolongation 45 touches the shoulder 46 aaraoer when the lid is being lifted and is forced to return to the initial position 47 which returns gradually during functioning to its final position 48; only the extreme end of the arm with the needle, projects from the slot 49. According to the type of the apparatus, its functioning with complete return to zero can be foreseen, i.e. in rest position outside the record, when the lid is closed, or rather obtain this displacement by a special maneuver. In a simpler case the mobile support device of the arm is independent from the lid and is directly connected with the motor group and with the amplification in order to make the maneuver automatic in the iznown manner, as indicated in FIGURES 11 and 12 where, for reasons of simplicity, the arm is represented straight without the necessary angle of tangency. In order to start the apparatus, the cam 60 (pushing its prominence 61) with its inclined part lifts the lamina 62 which serves both to operate the contact 63 and to lift the motor by a prolongation not shown in the figure. During operation the position of the motor and the contact is maintained by a hook 64, which will he opened at the end of the record at the plane and projecting part of the cam 60. In the same FIGURES l1 and 12 a simplified embodiment of a pick-up arm is shown as an example for apparatus at a reduced price, according to the present invention, formed essentially by a central lamina 51 which carries one or several needles 52 and can move between two hollow contact members in carbon 53, filled with carbon dust; all of this enclosed in a small block 54 of very flexible material suitable to retain the dust, permitting the movement of the lamina; so as to form a microphone of carbon of double effect, connectable, to a battery 16 and balanced transformer 56, with the loudspeaker 40 without the necessity of amplification.

I have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A portable record player comprising a turntable, said turntable comprising two metal plates, a plate of resilient and flexible material interposed between said metal plates, said resilient plate having a toothed rim, a rotating hub upon which said plates are mounted, a motor disposed with its shaft parallel to said plates, and means upon said shaft coacting with said toothed rim.

2. A record player as set forth in claim 1 wherein said motor is mounted upon a plurality of arms fixed to said motor in assymetric position.

3. A portable record player as set forth in claim 2 wherein said arms are supported by rubber hearings on a pivot at one side and on the other side by a resilient support.

4. A record player as set forth in claim 2 wherein said mounting of said motor may be shifted transversely and longitudinally so that the connection between said toothed rim and said motor may be varied to provide different speeds.

5. A record player as set forth in claim 2 wherein a centrifugal regulator is associated with said motor.

6. A record player as set forth in claim 5 wherein said regulator comprises a cylindrical plate.

7. A record player as set forth in claim 5 wherein said regulator is provided with an insulating sleeve open at both ends to allow for its mounting upon said motor shaft.

8. A record player as set forth in claim 5 wherein a housing is provided beneath the turntable for battries to operate said motor.

9. A portable record player comprising a turntable, said turntable comprising two metal plates, a plate of resilient and flexible material interposed between said metal plates, said resilient plate having a toothed rim, a rotating hub upon which said plates are mounted, a motor disposed with its shaft parallel to said plates, means upon said shaft coacting with said toothed rim, a plurality of arms fixed to said motor in assymetric position upon which said motor is mounted and balance weights mounted on said arms.

References Qited hy the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1953 France. 4/1955 France.

NORTON ANSI-1BR, Primary Examiner.

STEPHEN W. CAPELLI, E. I. SAX, Examiners. 

1. A PORTABLE RECORD PLAYER COMPRISING A TURNTABLE, SAID TURNTABLE COMPRISING TWO METAL PLATES, A PLATE OF RESILIENT AND FLEXIBLE MATERIAL INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID METAL PLATES, SAID RESILIENT PLATE HAVING A TOOTHED RIM, A ROTATING HUB UPON WHICH SAID PLATES ARE MOUNTED, A MOTOR DISPOSED WITH ITS SHAFT PARALLEL TO SAID PLATES, AND MEANS UPON SAID SHAFT COACTING WITH SAID TOOTHED RIM. 